Recommend Handgun Vault

Safetech · Jul 10, 2013

I've worked with them a little bit. And I don't like them. Especially for someone who may be in a hurry and nervously fumbling.

They've gotten better over the years. But I still won't put my complete trust in them where my life depends on it.

Terphunter · Jul 10, 2013

SWO Daddy said:
I love your avatar...just bought the shirt on Amazon

Haha...i have to give full credit to my younger brother...his shirt and i loved it!

Grits you will love your Ft. knox!

BDWMS · Jul 10, 2013

Safetech said:
I've worked with them a little bit. And I don't like them. Especially for someone who may be in a hurry and nervously fumbling.

They've gotten better over the years. But I still won't put my complete trust in them where my life depends on it.

Thanks. There isn't much info out there about them. I guess I should go for a Fort Knoxx but they're $$$.

NickZac · Jul 11, 2013

BDWMS said:
Anyone used or heard anything about the Amsec PB3? I can't find any reviews or anything about it (that's probably telling...). But the price is right. I was just wondering if it's any better than the Gunvaults, Stackons, etc. My main concern is keeping the handgun out of the hands of children (expecting our first soon).

http://www.amazon.com/American-Security-Products-Handgun-Safe/dp/B00BYRJEIW/ref=dp_ob_title_sports

If it is like their other fast-access safes currently in production, it's a piece of junk made overseas and in not long you will have to replace it or send it out for repairs. The reviews on my Amsec fast-access safe summarize most of what has happened with mine and why I think it's a POS...it's sad as they used to make excellent fast-access vaults. Now their flagship offering of that kind of safe can be opened by a 7 year old in minutes or even seconds. The Amsec you are looking at weighs around 7 lbs and the Fort Knox weighs around 23 lbs...the welds on my Amsec are crap and on the Fort Knox they are true penetration welds. Having drilled through both, standard high speed steel bits tear through the Amsec almost immediately where as with the Fort Knox I need to use an actual hardened Cobalt bit set. Also, no way I would trust an electronic keypad when Simplex alternatives exist given how easily the electronic systems can fail.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Secu...34&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=amsec+handgun+safe

Mark Tobias seriously tested all the budget models and revealed the ease in which they can be defeated...which is a horrifying implication given these are commonly used for the purpose of keeping children out, yet most provide little more than a visual indication of security. Literally, most of these cheap models can just be dropped and open, have their locks picked with a paperclip, be shorted with electricity, be potentially damaged by shock electricity, humidity, etc., and have their combo-opening mechanism encounter issues rendering the safe useless (and God forbid if it locked the user out when they need it most). It also shows CA's DOJ ratings are an absolute joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wzt0vJvOI

Go with the Fort Knox. The extra $50 will be cheaper in the long run as it will last longer. Plus the Fort Knox doesn't need batteries and doesn't have electrical components and motors that will fail (there is no 'if' when electronics are involved...only 'when'). Beyond all, you don't have to worry that the safe that houses your firearm is something your children can potentially access due to poor design/quality of the safe.

While you can get it for almost $100 cheaper elsewhere, I am posting this link to show the consistency in reviews on the Fort Knox to let them speak for themselves...80% of owners rated it 5 out of 5 stars and over 95% of customers gave it either 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars. Not one person rated it a 1 and only one person rated it a two. This thing is really the industry benchmark...it's a quality American-made product that gives years of flawless service in a world of Chinese cheapies with questionable performance. If you buy a cheap fast-access safe now, chances are you will eventually buy a Fort Knox upon the realization of how big the difference is, IMHO.
http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK...73522488&sr=8-1&keywords=fort+knox+pistol+box

Grits · Jul 11, 2013

BDWMS said:
Thanks. There isn't much info out there about them. I guess I should go for a Fort Knoxx but they're $$$.

I had birthday money and said what the hell. It was $199 out the door on Amazon. It is an important purchase, I feel.

Straightshooter · Jul 13, 2013

Got my Fort Knox Pistol Box today. Man, what a beast. It's built like a tank.

wiseguy813 · Aug 3, 2013

NickZac said:
If it is like their other fast-access safes currently in production, it's a piece of junk made overseas and in not long you will have to replace it or send it out for repairs. The reviews on my Amsec fast-access safe summarize most of what has happened with mine and why I think it's a POS...it's sad as they used to make excellent fast-access vaults. Now their flagship offering of that kind of safe can be opened by a 7 year old in minutes or even seconds. The Amsec you are looking at weighs around 7 lbs and the Fort Knox weighs around 23 lbs...the welds on my Amsec are crap and on the Fort Knox they are true penetration welds. Having drilled through both, standard high speed steel bits tear through the Amsec almost immediately where as with the Fort Knox I need to use an actual hardened Cobalt bit set. Also, no way I would trust an electronic keypad when Simplex alternatives exist given how easily the electronic systems can fail.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Secu...34&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=amsec+handgun+safe

Mark Tobias seriously tested all the budget models and revealed the ease in which they can be defeated...which is a horrifying implication given these are commonly used for the purpose of keeping children out, yet most provide little more than a visual indication of security. Literally, most of these cheap models can just be dropped and open, have their locks picked with a paperclip, be shorted with electricity, be potentially damaged by shock electricity, humidity, etc., and have their combo-opening mechanism encounter issues rendering the safe useless (and God forbid if it locked the user out when they need it most). It also shows CA's DOJ ratings are an absolute joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wzt0vJvOI

Go with the Fort Knox. The extra $50 will be cheaper in the long run as it will last longer. Plus the Fort Knox doesn't need batteries and doesn't have electrical components and motors that will fail (there is no 'if' when electronics are involved...only 'when'). Beyond all, you don't have to worry that the safe that houses your firearm is something your children can potentially access due to poor design/quality of the safe.

While you can get it for almost $100 cheaper elsewhere, I am posting this link to show the consistency in reviews on the Fort Knox to let them speak for themselves...80% of owners rated it 5 out of 5 stars and over 95% of customers gave it either 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars. Not one person rated it a 1 and only one person rated it a two. This thing is really the industry benchmark...it's a quality American-made product that gives years of flawless service in a world of Chinese cheapies with questionable performance. If you buy a cheap fast-access safe now, chances are you will eventually buy a Fort Knox upon the realization of how big the difference is, IMHO.
http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK...73522488&sr=8-1&keywords=fort+knox+pistol+box

That's crazy. I was actually thinking of getting the same gunvault they cracked. Thanks for the eye opening viedo

Sent from Galaxy S4

NickZac · Aug 4, 2013

wiseguy813 said:
That's crazy. I was actually thinking of getting the same gunvault they cracked. Thanks for the eye opening viedo

Sent from Galaxy S4

The saddest part is that those videos do not exaggerate at all...I have or have had quite a few of those models and a paperclip, a credit card, or just dropping it a few feet is enough to defeat most of them. Failure of the electronic components were also common, which resulted in the vault failing to open when the combination was pressed.

The Simplex-driven Fort Knox is the best way to go (with a few other smaller Simplex-driven handgun vaults being on the same level of quality). The difference of the Fort Knox versus a GunVault is the difference between a TL-30 Brown Safe and an entry Liberty, RedHead, Cannon, etc. with under 3% of the armor the Brown has. It is night and day to the tenth power, and it's an ocean's difference of quality and security.

While the Fort Knox is more than the others, it's an investment in quality, longevity, reliability, peace of mind, and personal safety. I'll never trust my life to any fast-access vault that isn't using a Simplex lock.

BigMBobbyOP · Aug 4, 2013

anyone have any experience with the Shotlock:

http://www.costco.com/ShotLock-Small-Universal-Solo-Vault-Safe.product.11764012.html

Seems similar to the Ft. Knox with the costco discount

MaxVO2 · Aug 4, 2013

BigMBobbyOP said:
anyone have any experience with the Shotlock:

http://www.costco.com/ShotLock-Small-Universal-Solo-Vault-Safe.product.11764012.html

Seems similar to the Ft. Knox with the costco discount

****It does have a mechanical lock similar to the Ft. Knox but that's about it. It looks like it is made of pretty thin sheet metal and is stamped/riveted together. It is better than nothing but it almost looks like you could get into that thing with tin snips and a screwdriver.

The mechanical lock is nice to have over something battery operated but if you have the space just get the Ft. Knox for like $20 more. I think I paid $151 for my last one and nobody will be getting into that thing with a screwdriver or tin snips. It weighs like 25 lbs and has a gas assisted hinge as the door is so heavy. It's a beast.

BigMBobbyOP · Aug 4, 2013

thanks. was leaning to the ft. knox... probably will shell out for it

spclopr8tr · Aug 4, 2013

BigMBobbyOP said:
thanks. was leaning to the ft. knox... probably will shell out for it

Forget Amazon. Mine was $151.00 + $25.00 shipping for a total of $176.00. Fast shipping and the thing is built like a brick $#!t house. My only concern is it is so heavy I'm concerned it is going to warp my nightstand drawer bottom.

http://www.ggstore.us/agstore/commerce.cgi?cart_id=&product=Handgun_Safes&pid=0092

NickZac · Aug 4, 2013

BigMBobbyOP said:
thanks. was leaning to the ft. knox... probably will shell out for it

I posted a link to them on discount from a guy I've gotten safes from in The Depot section...you can get them for a lot less than MSRP and a lot of people have purchased from this retailer since it was posted and they are great people to deal with.

echo6mike · Aug 4, 2013

On the same topic, it's time to upgrade my storage too. What would folks recommend for 3-4 handguns, similar to the Ft. Knox single-pistol vaults?

I want a mechanical lock, and that same decently heavy construction. Something about a cubic foot inside with a shelf or just enough space for cradles for 4 pistols and a few magazines.

Brands, models, sources? I don't want to break the bank, but I don't want to cheap out and get a glorified filing cabinets either...

Thanks!

Safetech · Aug 5, 2013

Here ya go...

https://www.ftknox.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=58

echo6mike · Aug 5, 2013

Safetech said:
Here ya go...

https://www.ftknox.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=58

Yep, Ft Knox looks like the way to go for a single pistol. I need to find something a bit bigger though, like just over a foot each direction inside, maybe not quite that high. Something with a shelf or some arrangement for 3-4 handguns (hangars, padded slots in a rack, something like that).

I may end up getting a couple and bolting them all to the wall/floor? Not sure...

Safetech · Aug 5, 2013

No hangers or slots, but that one (at the link) looks like it would hold 2 or 3 (maybe 4).

echo6mike · Aug 5, 2013

I'm just looking at the dimensions FtK gives, that one is 5x6x9, their largest seems to be this one: https://www.ftknox.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=57

That's 5x9x12 inches, so it might hold 3 pistols? I could rig up a rack to fit inside there, maybe I'll dummy one up out of just cardboard to see how much I could fit into it.

Or if I had really long arms I could get their shotgun safe - that would hold plenty of pistols! (and magazines, and ammo, and cleaning supplies, and even a couple of chipmunks to keep everything company

)

Anyway. I like the fact that our resident safe professional likes Ft Knox products. Is a good recommendation!

Naptown34 · Aug 5, 2013

NickZac · Aug 5, 2013

echo6mike said:
On the same topic, it's time to upgrade my storage too. What would folks recommend for 3-4 handguns, similar to the Ft. Knox single-pistol vaults?

I want a mechanical lock, and that same decently heavy construction. Something about a cubic foot inside with a shelf or just enough space for cradles for 4 pistols and a few magazines.

Brands, models, sources? I don't want to break the bank, but I don't want to cheap out and get a glorified filing cabinets either...

Thanks!

The Fort Knox can do 4 if they are thinner and carefully placed in...but you need thinner foam and must ensure there isn't pressure on the lockbar/locking mechanism. It comfortably does 2 full-sized guns plus a box of ammo, 3 mags, and stuff like wallet, keys, etc.

If you are looking to have all of them fast-access, two Pistol Boxes may be ideal. That way you have them positioned in two areas increasing accessibility. I've got one on both extreme sides of my living space. I keep one in each and everything else inside a tool-resistant safe with a standard mechanical wheel lock (and have a second on the way). The Fort Knox is fantastic, but it's still only going to slow someone down where as the beefy safe is what will stop them from getting my more expensive things...plus they have the added bonus of fireproofing which the Fort Knox lacks (and as far as I know, all other fast-access gun-vaults lack it as well).

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